Cockpit head movement limits widened on bubble canopy planes

[Vinkman]

It appears that the sideways head movement for planes with bubble canopies is limited to the edge of the fuselage sheet metal instead of the where the canopy would stick out past it.  I understand for HTC that is because the "head movement box" is a rectangle and cont conform to the exact shape of the glass when the glass is curved. I also understand they are moving to a new system that would allow them to model the head movemnet box with polyshapes that will correct this.

In the meantime...can the F4U have the width of it's head movement box increased to simulate the outer limit of the bubble canopy? This plane suffers so bad from rear view capability when using a TrackIR because it's a struggle to get you head into the optimum upper forward corner of the cockpit to see "over" the "hood" on the back of the canopy. I think real pilots just looked around it by be able to get thier head much further out then the sheet metal limit.

With the headbox being a rectangle, the limit has to be set at the inner or out limit of the bubble. I think the outer limit provides the critical extra ability to see backwards that the bubble were designed to provide. A rectangle would provide that width over the whole length of the canopy, true, but that seems like it provides much less "extra" benefit in seeing rearward (compared to only having the center of the bubble having the widest point) than the inner limit takes away.

Thanks for considering.

[Karnak]

I've not noticed this.  Remember, a bubble canopy does not necessarily extend out past the side of the fuselage the way a Spitfire's canopy or a P-51B's Malcolm Hood does.  I recall reading that some P-51 pilots said the Malcolm Hood offered superior visibility to the P-51D's bubble canopy.

[Wiley]

Which view are you having trouble with in which hog?  When I'm looking up, I just move my head to the side and look up.  The plate is barely noticable.

Wiley.

[guncrasher]

vinkman it's not the game it's your settings.  I can look behind me in an f4u using trakir almost as good as any other airplane.   perhaps get another profile or tinker with it a bit.


semp

[GNucks]

It really took a while to figure out, but I've learned that focusing on the framing to your left or right and trying to jab it with your nose just before turning around is the way to get a decent view out the back. Anything past the 3-9 line doesn't feel intuitive at all, but I've started getting the hang of it. I really wish you could set a track or something for you head position to follow as you look about, so that only the pitch and yaw axis are needed 90% of the time. When I used the hatswitch I didn't think about moving my head to the side and forward when I wanted to look out the back, I really wish I didn't have to think about where my head was so much in TrackIR.

[Vinkman]

It really took a while to figure out, but I've learned that focusing on the framing to your left or right and trying to jab it with your nose just before turning around is the way to get a decent view out the back. Anything past the 3-9 line doesn't feel intuitive at all, but I've started getting the hang of it. I really wish you could set a track or something for you head position to follow as you look about, so that only the pitch and yaw axis are needed 90% of the time. When I used the hatswitch I didn't think about moving my head to the side and forward when I wanted to look out the back, I really wish I didn't have to think about where my head was so much in TrackIR.

That's my point Nucks. It can be done bit takes a lot of thought, and isn't a very natural movement.  I want to be able to look around the seat like real pilots did. I doubt they sat up out of their seat and pressed thier head up against the top of the gun sight reflector glass to look over the hood to see behind them. 

[PFactorDave]

I used to have a similar problem Vinkman.  I found, in any airframe, to get a better and more natural "looking around the seat" six view, I lean back in my chair a little when I re-center TrackIR.  Then when flying and sitting normally, my TrackIR view position is more like a pilot leaning a little forward into the gun site.  It has the double bonus of giving me a better gun site view and a little easier time looking behind me around the seat.

If I have time, I'll post some screen shots in a bit.

EDIT TO ADD:

View leaning back a little when I re-center TrackIR



View when sitting normally



View to the rear when I turn and lean slightly to the right

[The Fugitive]

view using key settings. As you can see you still can see more than you can with trackIR

[Vinkman]

I used to have a similar problem Vinkman.  I found, in any airframe, to get a better and more natural "looking around the seat" six view, I lean back in my chair a little when I re-center TrackIR.  Then when flying and sitting normally, my TrackIR view position is more like a pilot leaning a little forward into the gun site.  It has the double bonus of giving me a better gun site view and a little easier time looking behind me around the seat.

If I have time, I'll post some screen shots in a bit.

EDIT TO ADD:

View leaning back a little when I re-center TrackIR

(Image removed from quote.)

View when sitting normally

(Image removed from quote.)

View to the rear when I turn and lean slightly to the right

(Image removed from quote.)

Thanks Dave. Yes I have discovered the same trick. But speed setting and a few other axis tunings make transitioning from this view to the back-left and other views a bit awkward. I have found set ups that work ok for a Corsair, but I don't like them in other planes. I could save a seperate TrackIR profile called Corsair and switch to it when I want to fly the F4U. But it''s a hassle.

I did a little research and found that the canopy for models F4U1-F4U-D were bubbled and stuck out from teh side of the plane. Perhaps not very much, but I think a little goes a long way. So they could be inproved a bit in game. BUT Starting with the F4U-4 the canopy was made much wider and "bubbled" out more. It also lost the hood.

So perhaps some tweeking of the D model, and a bigger change on the Perked F4U. That might make it worth the perks alone!  

[Vinkman]

view using key settings. As you can see you still can see more than you can with trackIR

(Image removed from quote.)

HAve noticed on most planes that the head box seems bigger if you use the standard views than if you use trackIR.  It seems that Track Ir assumes some fixed size for your head and you eyeballs are set some distance inside the head boundery. Whereas the standard AH views assume your head is a point, so your eyeballs and head are dementionless so your eye can reach the edge of the headbox.

Is that true?

I wonder if there is a head size setting on the trackIR that can shrink your virtual noggin which would slightly increase your "effective" head box.

[guncrasher]

view using key settings. As you can see you still can see more than you can with trackIR

(Image removed from quote.)

I can see a lot more than that.   all the way to my wing.

but that aside.  there's no comparison when using trakir and the keys or joystick mapping to look at a con while in a turning/diving type of battle.  the person with trakir usually has a an edge as if you learn it you will know the "blind spots" created when you either use keys or try to switch from key to key.


semp

[hitech]

Didn't realize the TrackIR was limited to the old box method of bounding.

We Will fix the issue so you get the full range of head movement.

HiTech

[lengro]

We fix the issue so you get the full range of head movement.

 

[The Fugitive]

I can see a lot more than that.   all the way to my wing.

but that aside.  there's no comparison when using trakir and the keys or joystick mapping to look at a con while in a turning/diving type of battle.  the person with trakir usually has a an edge as if you learn it you will know the "blind spots" created when you either use keys or try to switch from key to key.


semp

post a picture and explain what you mean.

Didn't realize the TrackIR was limited to the old box method of bounding.

We Will fix the issue so you get the full range of head movement.

HiTech

Thank you! I won't throw my TrackIR out just yet then 

[Vinkman]

Didn't realize the TrackIR was limited to the old box method of bounding.

We Will fix the issue so you get the full range of head movement.

HiTech

Sweet! Thank you sir.